Montalto

From Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia

Chronology
1771. TJ took steps to acquire the mountain he would call
High Mountain and Hontalto.
In exchange for legal services for Edward Carter (docking
the entail of the Carter lands), T J was to receive "as much
of his nearest mountain as can be seen from mine, and 100
yds. beyond the lines of sight agreed before Capt. Burton."
(MB 1771, legal section)
1776 Sep. 15. TJ took a barometric reading on the summit of
Hontalto, in order to calculate its elevation. (HB 1776,
miscellaneous section)
1777 Oct. 17. TJ became legal owner of 483 acres of Hontalto.
( AlCDB, VII, 132-33)
Instead of docking the entail, TJ apparently had to wait
for the 1777 Virginia law abolishing entails (which he
drafted) before he could obtain title to the land. He paid
t190 for it. (HB 15 Oct. 1777, 2 Aug. 1778)
1778 Nov. 5. TJ considered enclosing 400 acres of HontaZto with
a stone wall. (GB79)
17706, probably post Nov. 1778. TJ prepared several designs for
structures planned for the summit of Hontalto: observation
towers 100' high, a 200' column. None were ever contructed.
(Nichols, Nos. 65, 66, 93, 126)
1796. T J gave Nicholas H. Lewis 12.5 acres of Hontalto in
exchange for 27.5 acres on Honticello's western boundary.
(HB 21 Dec. 1796; AlCDB, XIII, 130; TJ plat, Nichols, no.
517)
~ 1 8 0 0 1 T J planned improvements to Honticello and Hontalto, to
include bringing water from the Montalto spring by pipes or a
cascade, converting Hontelto to "park & riding grounds," and
constructing a bridge between the two tracts over the
Thoroughfare Gap road. (GB, plate XX)
1802. TJ bought 101.25 acres on northern boundary of Montalto,
for which he paid 9419.16. (AlCDB, I. 165-67; MB 5 Oct.
1802; TJ plats, Nichols, nos. 518-19)
1815. TJ gave the above 101.25 acres to his granddaughter Anne
Cary Bankhead. It became?%$ the Bankhead's farm, Carlton.
( AlCDB, XIX, 322-24) A
1826. TJ apparently owned Montalto at his death, when it became
part of his estate administered by his grandson Thomas
Jefferson Randolph. The next owner has not yet been
determined.
HB. Hemorandurn Book
AlCDB. Albemarle County Deed Book
Nichols. Frederick D. Nichols, Thomas Jefferson's &gh&tectural
DraEinss
LCStanton, Monticello Research Department. 10. I. 90
MONTALTO
Documentary Sources
1771 Mch. 24. "Charles Carter of Corotoman (Lancaster) v. Edward
Carter (Albemarle). Bring petn. for 10,000 acres of land
Albem. on South West mountains on the waters of Rivanna and
Hardware rivers. Patd. by Carter father of def. This is
in order to dock the entail of the lands, for which def. is
to give me as much of his nearest mountain as can be seen
from mine, and 100 yds. beyond the line of sight agreed
before Capt. Wm. Burton. " (MB 1771, legal section)
1774 Oct. 3. Preliminary survey plat made for TJ by Anderson
Bryan. (in ViU:Edgehill-Randolph Papers)
1776 Sep. 15. TJ took barometrical observations at two
points at Monticello and two on Montalto ("a spring on the
N.E. side of Montalto" and "the top of Montalto"). From
these he calculated the elevation of Montalto as 280 feet
higher than Monticello and 792.17 feet above the Rivanna
River. The Montalto spring was 30.2575 feet lower than
Monticello. (MB 1776, miscellaneous section) Circa 1811 TJ
recalculated the elevations by a different method--using the
same barometric readings--and got 872'-2" instead of 792'.
(Weather Memorandum Book, p. 58-59, Library of Congress)
NOTE: Rivanna is at about 300'; correct elevation of Montalto
is 1,280'.
1777 Oct. 15. 'Left with T. Garth for Edward Carter t90 in part
of t190. to which the 483 acres of land I bought of him were
valued by N. Lewis & J. Coles. " (MB 1777)
1777 Oct. 17. Deed Edward and Sally Carter to TJ, for the sum
of k190, of 483 acres, part of tract of 9,350 acres granted
to John Carter 28 Sep. 1730 and devised by him in fee tail to
Edward, who owned it in fee simple after Act of Assembly
abolishing entail. Deed gives metes and bounds. (AlCDB,
VII, 132-33) Clerk's note: "Enclosed to Mr. Jefferson the
22d. day of April 1794. "
1778 Aug. 2. "Sent by Dr. Gilmer to E. Carter k104-0-6 in full
of my note for the land bought of him." (MB 1778)
1778 Nov. 5. "To inclose all my lands on the S. W. side of the
Thoroughfare road following the meandersof the road and in
other places following the line would take in about 400 acres
of land, & require a fence about 1323 poles long. Suppose
this to be a dry stone fence 23.1. thick at bottom. 19 I.
thick at top & 4 f. 3 I. high, every perch length of such a
fence is very nearly 5. perch of work. Of course there will
be 6615 perch. I think a hand will lay 10 perch of brick
work a day having his stone brought to the place. One hand
then would lay the whole in 661 1/2 days = 110 1/2 weeks = 2
years--1 month--2 weeks." (GB79)
1778 Nov. 12. "Placing the Theodolite on the top of the house,
the Eastern spur of the High mountain intersects the Horizon
190 Westward of Willis's mountain. Note the observation was
made on the intersection of the ground (not the trees) with
the horizon. ' (GBBO)
Late 1770s. TJ prepared a number of designs for observation
towers for the summit of Montalto, 100 and more feet high
(including a proposal for a 200-foot column). (Nichols, nos.
65, 66, 93, 126) NOTE: WLB thinks these probably date after
the purchase of Gibbs in Dec. 1778.
~ 1 7 9 0 1 "485. acres (0.) part of 9350. acres granted to John
Carter by patent bearing date Sep. 28. 1730. who by his will
dated and recorded in devised the same to his son
Edward in fee tail; who becoming seised in fee simple by
virtue of the act of assembly declaring tenants in fee tail
to stand seised in fee simple, he sold & conveyed the said
483. acres, part of the said 9350. to Thos. Jefferson by deed
dated Oct. 17. 1777. & recorded in Albemarle. * (N-526,
heretofore called Land Roll 1788)
1796 Dec. 21. "Thos. Garth & James Kerr value the difference in
the exchange of the small portions of land between N. M.
Lewis & myself at t16-15 boot in his favor." (NB) TJ
acquired 27.5 acres on Monticello's western boundary from
Nicholas M. Lewis, in exchange for 12.5 acres of the Montalto
tract. (AlCDB, XIII, 130; T3 plat, Nichols. no. 517)
~ 1 8 0 0 1 "General ideas for the improvement of Monticello....
The spring on Montalto either to be brought to Monticello by
pipes or to fall over steps of stairs in cascade, made
visible at Monticello through a vista....
The North side of Monticello below the Thoroughfare
roundabout quite down to the river, and all Xontalto above
the thoroughfare to be converted into park & riding grounds,
connected at the Thoroughfare by a bridge, open, under which
the public road may be made to pass so as not to cut off the
communication between the lower & upper park grounds." (GB,
plate XX)
1802 Oct. 5. "Inclosed.. . to Gibson & Jefferson.. .2. draughts in
favr. Ben. Brown 285.83 Thos. Wells 133.33 which last two
are this day made and inclosed to Brown and Wells in full
paiment for the lands I bought of them." (MB) TJ bought two
parcels of 61.25 and 40 acres bordering northern boundary of
Montalto. (AlCDB, I, 165- 6;47-X, TJ plats, Nichols,
nos. 518-19) See 1815.
1815. TJ gave the two tracts purchased in 1802 to his
granddaughter Anne Cary Bankhead. (AlCDB, XIX, 322-24)
HB. Memorandum Book.
AlCDB. Albemarle County Deed Book
Nichols. Frederick D. Nichols, Thomas Jefferson's Architectural
Ilre~ir?s~.